G.G. ALLINThe Troubled Troubadour (Mountain Records)By: GARY PIG GOLDThink and even say what you may about the on-stage persona and off-stage predicaments of G.G.Allin, but remember that deep down, beneath all the airborne feces and NY Post headlines beat the heart and soul of an always committed, never less than passionate singer/songwriter. Yes, perhaps he ultimately fell victim to the very monster he conjured, but doubt not for one second the effect the body of work he left behind continues to have on a great number of us. His music - and his life - is not something easily ignored, try as hard as some to brush it under the rug or, worse still, dismiss it as the ravings of some junk-filled crazoid: G.G.'s art is disconcerting because it was always so honest, most often painfully so, both to its creator AND its audience, and therefore Why Not, I say, shouldn't it be rightly hailed alongside the work of similarly twistedly-gifted songsters (ie: J.Lennon)? That said, The Troubled Troubadour is an ideal starting-off point for the uninitiated to ease their way into Allin World, for most of the recordings herein are solo, acoustic performances (and even some phone conversations) which go to great lengths to help us better understand and connect with who G.G. was, and what he was trying to say to us all (like it or not). Unfortunately, the inevitable cottage industry of Allin's legacy is well underway: the horrid live videos of his tortured final concert appearances; the stupidly Mansonesque badges and black-on-black T-shirts,, to offset that particular circus, you deserve at least one listen to this disc full of pure, raw, and, believe it or not, heartfelt G.G.Allin. No blood, no pooh, just words and music, as it should be. Period.